South African Airways Sponsors Masters Cup
Star Alliance Carrier Becomes Exclusive Airline in Shanghai for 3 Years
Shanghai, China – South African Airways (SAA), the leading carrier on the African continent and the Official Airline of the ATP, has signed as Premier Sponsor and exclusive airline for the Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai 2006-2008, the elite eight-man and eight-team circuit finale.
“We are taking our strong South African brand to the rest of the world with this sponsorship, making our presence felt on the world stage,” said Khaya Ngqula, South African Airways CEO. “We already clinched a much sought after global sponsorship by becoming the Official Airline to the ATP, the governing body of the men’s professional tennis circuit. Adding the Tennis Masters Cup to our hand picked sport sponsorships is a further feather in our corporate cap.
“As an award winning airline and the leader on the African continent, sponsoring a prestigious international event of this stature gives us the international exposure that groups us with the top airlines in the world. The popularity of tennis in China is growing rapidly and the Masters Cup is a great event for SAA to be associated with.”
Added Brad Drewett, Tennis Masters Cup Tournament Director: “We are very pleased that South African Airways has become an ATP sponsor and in particular that it will now extend its sponsorship to the season-ending championship. The Tennis Masters Cup has attracted many outstanding global sponsors and we are proud that SAA will also be supporting what has become one of the three major sporting events in China.”
South African Airways is one of 11 Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai Premier Sponsors, which include Citigroup, Lacoste, Indesit, Rado, China Mobile, Shui On Land, Haworth Furniture, China Pacific Insurance, China Union Pay and Shanghai Petro. Heineken is the event’s Founding Sponsor and Mercedes-Benz is Principal Sponsor.
About South African Airways
Founded in 1934 as one of the world’s first national airlines, South African Airways now serves 34 cities in 26 countries, carrying more than seven million passengers a year. SAA has been heralded by airline rankings experts as one of the top ten international airlines in terms of service standards and product offering. Through Star Alliance, South African Airways will now provide additional flexibility in air travel through 17 partner airlines flying to 152 countries and 842 destinations in 152 countries.
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